Foto: Birds Island resort (bron: -)
Seychelles - Bird Island is the northernmost island of the Seychelles archipelago, located 60 miles from Mahé. The coral island, measuring 0.70 km², is known for its birdlife, including sooty terns, fairy terns, and common noddies. Hawksbill and green sea turtles are also found here. Today, the island is a private resort with 24 bungalows. It also hosts a small weather station and a short airstrip, Bird Island Airport, which connects the island with Mahé. Bird Island was formerly known as "Ile aux Vaches" due to the many dugongs (sea cows) that lived in the surrounding waters. It also used to be a coconut plantation. Since 1967, the island has been privately owned, and measures have been taken to protect birdlife and the hawksbill turtle nesting grounds. Bird Island is named in honor of its spectacular colony of approximately 700,000 pairs of sooty terns that nest on the island. The birds arrive from the end of March, lay their eggs between May and October, and then leave the island. Another remarkable phenomenon, especially from October to December, stems from Bird Island’s geographic position on the northern edge of the Seychelles Bank. This makes it the first landfall for migrating Eurasian birds. Many new bird species stop here to rest during their journey.